What is the total duration of the Timeline content that is heading for DVD-VIDEO Widescreen on DVD disc? When you get to the burn dialog (and just before you hit Burn) what does the quality area there show for Space Required and Bitrate?

If you use the - + slider above the Timeline to expand the Timeline content, do you see any slivers (presenting as thin vertical black lines scattered about) or any other irregularities in titles or transitions placement?

The spacing between the Timeline markers can create problems if too short. I have found that I need a 12 frames or more gap between them. How many Timeline markers are you using in this project....Total scene markers, main menu markers, and stop markers? The program allows for a maximum of 25 menu markers per project. You can place more than 25 in the Timeline content but only 25 will actually be all that is put in use.

When the problem hits at this 99% mark, does the DVD/CD burner tray automatically pop open when the program is seemingly stopped at this 99% and has not yet confirmed the burn is complete?

If you start a new project and reconstruct this project there with your source media, does the problem persist?

Have you tried making a copy of the problematic project and, with the copy, systematically take away parts of it in order to try to find a component in the Timeline related to the malfunction?

Also, what happens if you select the option to burn your DVD files to a folder on your hard drive rather than directly to a disc? This will test to see if the problem is with the connection to your DVD burner.

Typically, if you are doing a multi movie Timeline and you want the viewer to be able to navigate to a specific movie followed by return to main menu, then:

Main Menu Marker at beginning of movie 1 and Stop Marker at end of movie 1....then gap of at least 12 frames...Main Menu Marker at beginning of movie 2 and Stop Marker at end of movie 2....and so on. But for the last, remember no Stop Marker at the end of that last Movie on the Timeline.

With those 25 .mts video clips, are you sure that you want or need all those return to main menu possibilities.... a scene marker at the beginning of each and a stop marker at the end of each for a return to menu after each of the 25 video clips? Especially if these are small video clips.

Large project...

Keep in mind that the DVD disc 4.7 GB/120 minutes is in reality 4.3 GB capacity. So as you can tell my the program's lowering of the Bitrate (8.00 to 7.97 Mbps), the program is trying to make the fit by lowering the bitrate. Depending on how your troubleshooting goes, you may want to start thinking about DVD Double Layer Disc (8.5 GB/240 min) if your project gets much larger. In the case of the DVD double layer, 8.5 GB is in reality 7.3 GB. Typically, lower the Bitrate, the lesser is the Quality of the end product. So you do not want to force the program to lower the Bitrate to low to make the fit.

As for the Timeline - + slider to which I referred...

In the above screenshot, please note in the right side of the Premiere Elements 11 Timeline (Expert view)...from left to right at that location,

the Render Button

the icon named "Fit to Visible Timeline

the icon named Zoom Out ( - ) which is related to the slider to its right

the icon named Zoom In ( +) which is related to the slider to its left

That slider is moved by either of those icons or by moving the circular button of the slider with the mouse curser.

If you do try the Premiere Elements burn to folder (4.7 GB) for this with ImgBurn for the burn to DVD-VIDEO using just the VIDEO_TS of the saved folder in Premiere Elements burn to folder, the following ImgBurn link may be helpful.

In my way of thinking, ImgBurn is a strange, yet very effective program for this purpose. Strange in that

a. during its operation the DVD/CD burner tray will automatically rapidly open and close as action proceeds

and

b. When the operation is completed (if you have your speakers on) you will get a dialog telling burn success accompanied by a sound that sounds like off to the races.

Let us see how you do with the burn to folder route before we try to find the key to getting the burn to disc to function for this specific project.

Thanks.

ATR

Add On....

I have something I would like you to try if you have not already. Referring back to your post where you detailed your test, progressively adding Timeline content to the Timeline...

1 OK

1+ 8 OK

9+ 8 OK

but when you added the last 8 .mts files et al to the 17, NOT OK.

What happens when you get to addition for the last 8, if you do not add the last 8 files to get to your 25 files original Timeline (assuming that you have been adding back your original Timeline sequentially), if

a. you do not add the specific last 8 .mts part

but instead

b. you add/repeat addition of the 8 files added in the prior step (that was a successful burn to)?

The suggestion is made in the case that there just be a mess up in the last 8 files that needs correction rather than the problem being something else.

What name did you give to the folder for burn to folder in the Burn Dialog? The folder is usually given a numetrical name if you do not give it a name yourself. I would give that another look. I believe the default location is in Documents. Maybe do it again and set the save to the computer desktop.And remember it is only the VIDEO_TS Folder that you want to take into ImgBurn.

I still have hopes that there might be something in those last 8 files that is causing the problem and that we can target a correction there.

If this does turn out to be a disc capacity issue, can you get your hands on a DVD double layer disc (8.5 GB/240 minutes)?

Have we talked about scratch disks and where they are directed and how much free hard drive space is at that location? Any pile up of previews and conformed audio in the Adobe Folder/Premiere Elements Folder?

Just some thoughts. Eager to learn of the latest results for getting to 25.

Is it possible to pick apart the original last 8 to see if it is the total 8 that is messing things up or one specific clip in those 8 that is the culprit.

I do not have a Blu-ray player so not sure what it does or does not do with DVD double layer. Do you have the specifications for your player? If so, please check it out and look for what it offers in the way of disc support. I suspect a more recent Blu-ray player would support the DVD double layer as well as the DVD 4.7 GB/120 min. But the player specifications give the final word.

With your last report, I am rationalizing that you can find the answer in those original 8 video clips.

No pun intended, but I suggest that you put burn to folder on the back burner for the moment and focus on trying to get those last 8 files into the project to complete the project with a burn to disc DVD 4.7 GB/120 minutes or DVD double layer 8.5 GB/240 minutes.

All you should have in the folder of Premiere Elements burn to folder is two folders, one named OpenDVD and the other named VIDEO_TS.

When you are in the burn dialog and have set for burn to folder, please let us know exactly what you see entered into the fields for:

I am still working over the details, but your post #24 has been wondering. So best I ask. Where did a .mts file come into the ImgBurn picture?

ImgBurn is being used to take that VIDEO_TS Folder (with all its contents inside) from the Premiere Elements burn to folder and author that to DVD-VIDEO format on DVD disc. (As an aside, inside the VIDEO_TS are a lot of folders and files. The one named VTS_01_1.VOB typically is the beginning of your video file. But that should not be here nor there, just the whole VIDEO_TS into ImgBurn via its

Write files/folder to disc

File Menu

Browse for a source folder

Grab the right VIDEO_TS Folder

The program essentially does the rest with all sorts of reminders and messages to you.)

Nero and its Nero Vision if it came with a DVD-VIDEO plug always did a good job for me with burn to DVD-VIDEO on DVD disc. But, I would urge you not to add another variable here. You seem to be so close to a breakthrough with either Premiere Elements burn to disc or folder. Keep an eye on your computer resources, and review your steps and results systematically.

Let us get this .mts and ImgBurn business cleared up so that we can understand how you got to that combo. And, please update on the status of those last 8 clips.

Take a break in the action if you have not already. Then advance refreshed.

Thanks for your hard work and working through the troubleshooting scenarios. Great job.

You are working for a good cause. I so much enjoy watching the children in the family engaging in their sports and especially the joy on their faces when they get their sports trophies at the end of season (even if their team came in last place), Great moment came when I saw my 8 year nephew padded up in his first football uniform last Fall.

Great moments to capture on video and present as family treasures.

Looking forward to your follow up on your Premiere Elements project. Regards to you and your wife.

Later this morning I will look at the use of DVD double layer, using Img Burn to see if I can confirm and/or define the use of ImgBurn for the authoring to DVD-VIDEO widescreen from the Premiere Elements VIDEO_TS (from burn to folder). I will use Premiere Elements burn to folder, Space Required 6 GB. The plan is to try to figure out if this ImgBurn process has its limitations in this regard or whether problems persist in your Timeline compilation.

However, please remind me why you are using DVD double layer in ImgBurn.

It is my recollection that DVD double layer came into this based on the idea that your problems in Premiere Elements burn to disc were related to disc capacity (DVD disc 4.7 GB/120 min) and that DVD disc (8.5 GB/240 minutes) would get around that if disc capacity were the core issue,

In the Premiere Elements burn to disc and use of the DVD double layer under your circumstances, I see two separate but related matters:

a. With the use of Double Layer and your Space Required going over the disc capacity of the standard disc, this would relate to quality in that the program would not have to lower the bitrate (lowers the quality) in order to make the fit.

and the other aspect of this is

b. Disc capacity issues prohibiting the burn to disc at all.

I still have not gotten to the ImgBurn test that I mentioned in my prior post. Coming very soon today, I hope.

As for ImgBurn....I presented ImgBurn with a DVD + R one sided double layer disc and the VIDEO_TS Folder from the burn to folder 8.5 GB/240 min, instead of burn to disc using a double layer disc, for the above Timeline. Before ImgBurn started the burn, a message popped up stating that this burn could be done using a standard rather than the double layer disc. But, it gave let me choice of which one. I opted for double layer. Soon after the processing began, the progress bar showed "Locking Drive for Exclusive Access". That was the beginning of the end. It stayed in that configuration for over 20 minues doing nothing but showing that message in the progress bar. With much difficulty I cancelled out of ImgBurn.

If you have not already, have you looked at your DVD menu strategy with regard to number of main menu pages and scene menu pages. If you have generated a lot of scene selection pages because you have selected a DVD Template with too few buttons per page, perhaps look at another DVD Template with more buttons per scene selection page to avoid the spill over and automatic generation of additional scene selection pages. Even if you think that you have lots of available RAM and free hard drive space, stop to do periodic clean up of preview and media cache files in the Adobe Folder as well as Media Cache Database in Edit Menu/Preferences/Media.

Unless you have gained an advantage in working with ImgBurn since you wrote last, I would steer clear of it for this project and focus on getting your DVD-VIDEO widescreen on DVD standard or one sided double layer disc with a burn to disc from Premiere Elements11, even if it means editing down a bit more (consoldating).